Neuromorphic Electronic Systems for Reservoir Computing
Jacobs University Bremen（不来梅雅各布大学）；University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf（汉堡-埃彭多夫大学医学中心）
Fatemeh Hadaeghi
备注：
This chapter is a contribution to a Springer book project titled Reservoir Computing: Theory, Physical Implementations and Applications. This pre-print is an updated version of the one submitted in 2019
This chapter provides a comprehensive survey of the researches and motivations for hardware implementation of reservoir computing (RC) on neuromorphic electronic systems. Due to its computational efficiency and the fact that training amounts to a simple linear regression, both spiking and non-spiking implementations of reservoir computing on neuromorphic hardware have been developed. Here, a review of these experimental studies is provided to illustrate the progress in this area and to address the technical challenges which arise from this specific hardware implementation. Moreover, to deal with challenges of computation on such unconventional substrates, several lines of potential solutions are presented based on advances in other computational approaches in machine learning.
Keywords: Analog Microchips, FPGA, Memristors, Neuromorphic Architectures, Reservoir Computing
Using optical hardware for neuromorphic computing has become more and more popular recently due to its efficient high-speed data processing capabilities and low power consumption. However, there are still some remaining obstacles to realizing the vision of a completely optical neuromorphic computer. One of them is that, depending on the technology used, optical weighting elements may not share the same resolution as in the electrical domain. Moreover, noise and drift are important considerations as well. In this article, we investigate a new method for improving the performance of optical weig…
University of Sheffield（谢菲尔德大学）；University of York（约克大学）
Neural networks have revolutionized the area of artificial intelligence and introduced transformative applications to almost every scientific field and industry. However, this success comes at a great price; the energy requirements for training advanced models are unsustainable. One promising way to address this pressing issue is by developing low-energy neuromorphic hardware that directly supports the algorithm's requirements. The intrinsic non-volatility, non-linearity, and memory of spintronic devices make them appealing candidates for neuromorphic devices. Here we focus on the reservoir co…
As Moore's law comes to an end, neuromorphic approaches to computing are on the rise. One of these, passive photonic reservoir computing, is a strong candidate for computing at high bitrates (> 10 Gbps) and with low energy consumption. Currently though, both benefits are limited by the necessity to perform training and readout operations in the electrical domain. Thus, efforts are currently underway in the photonic community to design an integrated optical readout, which allows to perform all operations in the optical domain. In addition to the technological challenge of designing such a reado…
Transforming Traditional Neural Networks into Neuromorphic Quantum-Cognitive Models: A Tutorial with Applications
Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University（查尔斯斯特大学人工智能与网络未来学院）；Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University（查尔斯斯特大学网络未来学院）
Technische Universität Berlin（柏林工业大学）；Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin（柏林洪堡大学）；Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB)（跨学科物理与复杂系统研究所（IFISC，西班牙国家研究委员会-巴利阿里群岛大学））
The time-delay-based reservoir computing setup has seen tremendous success in both experiment and simulation. It allows for the construction of large neuromorphic computing systems with only few components. However, until now the interplay of the different timescales has not been investigated thoroughly. In this manuscript, we investigate the effects of a mismatch between the time-delay and the clock cycle for a general model. Typically, these two time scales are considered to be equal. Here we show that the case of equal or resonant time-delay and clock cycle could be actively detrimental and…
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)（汉堡-埃彭多夫大学医学中心（UKE））；Jacobs University gGmbH（雅各布大学gGmbH）
The reservoir computing paradigm is employed to classify heartbeat anomalies online based on electrocardiogram signals. Inspired by the principles of information processing in the brain, reservoir computing provides a framework to design, train, and analyze recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for processing time-dependent information. Due to its computational efficiency and the fact that training amounts to a simple linear regression, this supervised learning algorithm has been variously considered as a strategy to implement useful computations not only on digital computers but also on emerging u…
Atomic Switch Networks (ASN) comprising silver iodide (AgI) junctions, a material previously unexplored as functional memristive elements within highly-interconnected nanowire networks, were employed as a neuromorphic substrate for physical Reservoir Computing (RC). This new class of ASN-based devices has been physically characterized and utilized to classify spoken digit audio data, demonstrating the utility of substrate-based device architectures where intrinsic material properties can be exploited to perform computation in-materio. This work demonstrates high accuracy in the classification …
Towards transferable lightweight neuromorphic computing through a model-free temporal-switch framework
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems（集成芯片与系统国家重点实验室）；Research Institute of Intelligent Complex Systems（智能复杂系统研究院）；Frontier Institute of Chip and System（芯片与系统前沿院）；School of Mathematical Sciences and Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences（数学科学学院和上海数学中心）；Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory（上海人工智能实验室）；State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute of Brain Science（医学神经生物学国家重点实验室和教育部脑科学前沿中心，脑科学研究院）
Surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals result from muscle movement and hence they are an ideal candidate for benchmarking event-driven sensing and computing. We propose a simple yet novel approach for optimizing the spike encoding algorithm's hyper-parameters inspired by the readout layer concept in reservoir computing. Using a simple machine learning algorithm after spike encoding, we report performance higher than the state-of-the-art spiking neural networks on two open-source datasets for hand gesture recognition. The spike encoded data is processed through a spiking reservoir with a biologi…
Reservoir computing is an emerging methodology for neuromorphic computing that is especially well-suited for hardware implementations in size, weight, and power (SWaP) constrained environments. This work proposes a novel hardware implementation of a reservoir computer using a planar nanomagnet array. A small nanomagnet reservoir is demonstrated via micromagnetic simulations to be able to identify simple waveforms with 100% accuracy. Planar nanomagnet reservoirs are a promising new solution to the growing need for dedicated neuromorphic hardware.
Autonomous Physical Computation: A Categorical Closure Criterion for Physical and Neuromorphic Reservoirs
McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT（麻省理工学院麦戈文脑研究所）；NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions, MIT（麻省理工学院美国国家科学基金会人工智能基础相互作用研究所）
Nonlinear waves have played a historical role in laying the foundations of the science of complexity. Recently, they have also allowed the development of a new reservoir computing paradigm: neuromorphic computing by waves. In these systems, the information transmission acts as the excitation of wave dynamics, whose evolution processes the information to perform complex tasks at low energy consumption. To enable nonlinear hydrodynamic waves to do computing, we designed the Aqua-Photonic-Advantaged Computing Machine by Artificial Neural Networks (Aqua-PACMANN), a system where wave propagation in…
Several analog and digital brain-inspired electronic systems have been recently proposed as dedicated solutions for fast simulations of spiking neural networks. While these architectures are useful for exploring the computational properties of large-scale models of the nervous system, the challenge of building low-power compact physical artifacts that can behave intelligently in the real-world and exhibit cognitive abilities still remains open. In this paper we propose a set of neuromorphic engineering solutions to address this challenge. In particular, we review neuromorphic circuits for emul…
Fabricating powerful neuromorphic chips the size of a thumb requires miniaturizing their basic units: synapses and neurons. The challenge for neurons is to scale them down to submicrometer diameters while maintaining the properties that allow for reliable information processing: high signal to noise ratio, endurance, stability, reproducibility. In this work, we show that compact spin-torque nano-oscillators can naturally implement such neurons, and quantify their ability to realize an actual cognitive task. In particular, we show that they can naturally implement reservoir computing with high …
Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are highly promising devices for the construction of neuromorphic photonic information processing systems, due to their numerous desirable properties such as low power consumption, high modulation speed, compactness, and ease of manufacturing. Of particular interest is the ability of VCSELs to exhibit neural-like spiking responses, much like biological neurons, but at ultrafast sub-nanosecond rates; thus offering great prospects for high-speed light-enabled neuromorphic (spike-based) processors. Recent works have shown the use the spiking dynami…
Unconventional computing explores multi-scale platforms connecting molecular-scale devices into networks for the development of scalable neuromorphic architectures, often based on new materials and components with new functionalities. We review some work investigating the functionalities of locally connected networks of different types of switching elements as computational substrates. In particular, we discuss reservoir computing with networks of nonlinear nanoscale components. In usual neuromorphic paradigms, the network synaptic weights are adjusted as a result of a training/learning proces…
As the compute demands for machine learning and artificial intelligence applications continue to grow, neuromorphic hardware has been touted as a potential solution. New emerging devices like memristors, atomic switches, etc have shown tremendous potential to replace CMOS-based circuits but have been hindered by multiple challenges with respect to device variability, stochastic behavior and scalability. In this paper we will introduce a Description<->Design framework to analyze past successes in computing, understand current problems and identify solutions moving forward. Engineering systems w…
Any large-scale spiking neuromorphic system striving for complexity at the level of the human brain and beyond will need to be co-optimized for communication and computation. Such reasoning leads to the proposal for optoelectronic neuromorphic platforms that leverage the complementary properties of optics and electronics. Starting from the conjecture that future large-scale neuromorphic systems will utilize integrated photonics and fiber optics for communication in conjunction with analog electronics for computation, we consider two possible paths towards achieving this vision. The first is a …
Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
Towards Reverse-Engineering the Brain: Brain-Derived Neuromorphic Computing Approach with Photonic, Electronic, and Ionic Dynamicity in 3D integrated circuits
Networks of nanowires are currently being explored for a range of applications in brain-like (or neuromorphic) computing, and especially in reservoir computing (RC). Fabrication of real-world computing devices requires that the nanowires are deposited sequentially, leading to stacking of the wires on top of each other. However, most simulations of computational tasks using these systems treat the nanowires as 1D objects lying in a perfectly 2D plane - the effect of stacking on RC performance has not yet been established. Here we use detailed simulations to compare the performance of perfectly …
Machine learning software applications are nowadays ubiquitous in many fields of science and society for their outstanding capability of solving computationally vast problems like the recognition of patterns and regularities in big datasets. One of the main goals of research is the realization of a physical neural network able to perform data processing in a much faster and energy-efficient way than the state-of-the-art technology. Here we show that lattices of exciton-polariton condensates accomplish neuromorphic computing using fast optical nonlinearities and with lower error rate than any p…
Neural coupled oscillators are a useful building block in numerous models and applications. They were analyzed extensively in theoretical studies and more recently, in biologically realistic simulations of spiking neural networks. The advent of mixed-signal analog/digital neuromorphic electronic circuits provides new means for implementing neural coupled oscillators on compact low-power spiking neural network hardware platforms. However, their implementation on this noisy, low-precision and inhomogeneous computing substrate raises new challenges with regards to stability and controllability. I…
Bielefeld University（比勒费尔德大学）；University of Zurich（苏黎世大学）；ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院）
The development of memristive device technologies has reached a level of maturity to enable the design of complex and large-scale hybrid memristive-CMOS neural processing systems. These systems offer promising solutions for implementing novel in-memory computing architectures for machine learning and data analysis problems. We argue that they are also ideal building blocks for the integration in neuromorphic electronic circuits suitable for ultra-low power brain-inspired sensory processing systems, therefore leading to the innovative solutions for always-on edge-computing and Internet-of-Thing…
In this paper we propose and numerically study a neuromorphic computing scheme that applies delay-based reservoir computing in a laser system consisting of two mutually coupled phase modulated lasers. The scheme can be monolithic integrated in a straightforward manner and alleviates the need for external optical injection, as the data can be directly applied on the on-chip phase modulator placed between the two lasers. The scheme also offers the benefit of increasing the nodes compared to a reservoir computing system using either one laser under feedback or laser under feedback and optical inj…
The rapidity and low power consumption of superconducting electronics makes them an ideal substrate for physical reservoir computing, which commandeers the computational power inherent to the evolution of a dynamical system for the purposes of performing machine learning tasks. We focus on a subset of superconducting circuits that exhibit soliton-like dynamics in simple transmission line geometries. With numerical simulations we demonstrate the effectiveness of these circuits in performing higher-order parity calculations and channel equalization at rates approaching 100 Gb/s. The availability…
It has always been a challenge in the neuromorphic field to systematically translate biological models into analog electronic circuitry. In this paper, a generalized circuit design platform is introduced where biological models can be conveniently implemented using CMOS circuitry operating in strong-inversion. The application of the method is demonstrated by synthesizing a relatively complex two-dimensional (2-D) nonlinear neuron model. The validity of our approach is verified by nominal simulated results with realistic process parameters from the commercially available AMS 0.35 um technology.…
Reservoir computing is a machine learning paradigm that uses a high-dimensional dynamical system, or \emph{reservoir}, to approximate and predict time series data. The scale, speed and power usage of reservoir computers could be enhanced by constructing reservoirs out of electronic circuits, and several experimental studies have demonstrated promise in this direction. However, designing quality reservoirs requires a precise understanding of how such circuits process and store information. We analyze the feasibility and optimal design of electronic reservoirs that include both linear elements (…
Reservoir Computing is a bio-inspired computing paradigm for processing time dependent signals. The performance of its analogue implementation are comparable to other state of the art algorithms for tasks such as speech recognition or chaotic time series prediction, but these are often constrained by the offline training methods commonly employed. Here we investigated the online learning approach by training an opto-electronic reservoir computer using a simple gradient descent algorithm, programmed on an FPGA chip. Our system was applied to wireless communications, a quickly growing domain wit…
Since the experimental discovery of magnetic skyrmions achieved one decade ago, there have been significant efforts to bring the virtual particles into all-electrical fully functional devices, inspired by their fascinating physical and topological properties suitable for future low-power electronics. Here, we experimentally demonstrate such a device: electrically-operating skyrmion-based artificial synaptic device designed for neuromorphic computing. We present that controlled current-induced creation, motion, detection and deletion of skyrmions in ferrimagnetic multilayers can be harnessed in…
Brain-inspired neuromorphic computing which consist neurons and synapses, with an ability to perform complex information processing has unfolded a new paradigm of computing to overcome the von Neumann bottleneck. Electronic synaptic memristor devices which can compete with the biological synapses are indeed significant for neuromorphic computing. In this work, we demonstrate our efforts to develop and realize the graphene oxide (GO) based memristor device as a synaptic device, which mimic as a biological synapse. Indeed, this device exhibits the essential synaptic learning behavior including a…
Neuromorphic computing takes inspiration from the brain to create energy efficient hardware for information processing, capable of highly sophisticated tasks. In this article, we make the case that building this new hardware necessitates reinventing electronics. We show that research in physics and material science will be key to create artificial nano-neurons and synapses, to connect them together in huge numbers, to organize them in complex systems, and to compute with them efficiently. We describe how some researchers choose to take inspiration from artificial intelligence to move forward i…
Abstract: Bionic learning with fused sensing, memory and processing functions outperforms artificial neural networks running on silicon chips in terms of efficiency and footprint. However, digital hardware implementation of bionic learning suffers from device heterogeneity in sensors and processing cores, which incurs large hardware, energy and time overheads. Here, we present a universal solution to simultaneously perform multi-modal sensing, memory and processing using organic electrochemical transistors with designed architecture and tailored channel morphology, selective ion injection into…
Classical and Quantum Physical Reservoir Computing for Onboard Artificial Intelligence Systems: A Perspective
Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University（查尔斯斯特大学人工智能与网络未来学院）；Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University（查尔斯斯特大学网络未来学院）
Neuromorphic Computing implemented in photonic hardware is one of the most promising routes towards achieving machine learning processing at the picosecond scale, with minimum power consumption. In this work, we present a new concept for realizing photonic recurrent neural networks and reservoir computing architectures with the use of recurrent optical spectrum slicing. This is accomplished through simple optical filters placed in an loop, where each filter processes a specific spectral slice of the incoming optical signal. The synaptic weights in our scheme are equivalent to filters central f…
This study presents the design, fabrication, and test of a micro accelerometer with intrinsic processing capabilities, that integrates the functions of sensing and computing in the same MEMS. The device consists of an inertial mass electrostatically coupled to an oscillating beam through a gap of 8 μm. The motion of the inertial mass modulates an AC electrostatic field that drives the beam in its non-linear regime. This non-linearity is used to implement machine learning in the mechanical domain, using reservoir computing with delayed feedback to process the acceleration information provided b…
Neural processing on devices and circuits is fast becoming a popular approach to emulate biological neural networks. Elaborate CMOS and memristive technologies have been employed to achieve this, including chalcogenide-based in-memory computing concepts. Here we show that nano-scaled films of chalcogenide semiconductors can serve as building-blocks for novel types of neural computations where their tunable electronic and optical properties are jointly exploited. We demonstrate that ultrathin photoactive cavities of Ge-doped Selenide can emulate the computationally powerful non-linear operation…
Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) have been successfully applied in various sensing application and digital information storage technologies. Currently, a number of new potential applications of MTJs are being actively studied, including high-frequency electronics, energy harvesting or random number generators. Recently, MTJs have been also proposed in designs of a new platforms for unconventional or bio-inspired computing. In the present work, it is shown that serially connected MTJs forming a multi-state memory cell can be used in a hardware implementation of a neural computing device. A behav…
Photonic realizations of neural network computing hardware are a promising approach to enable future scalability of neuromorphic computing. In this review we provide an overview on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and how these high-performance electro-optical components either implement or are combined with additional photonic hardware to demonstrate points (i-iii). In the neurmorphic photonics' context, VCSELs are of exceptional interest as they are compatible with CMOS fabrication, readily achieve 30\% wall-plug efficiency and >30~GHz modulation bandwidth and hence are highl…
As one of the most important members of the two dimensional chalcogenide family, molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has played a fundamental role in the advancement of low dimensional electronic, optoelectronic and piezoelectric designs. Here, we demonstrate a new approach to solid state synaptic transistors using two dimensional MoS2 floating gate memories. By using an extended floating gate architecture which allows the device to be operated at near-ideal subthreshold swing of 77 mV/decade over four decades of drain current, we have realised a charge tunneling based synaptic memory with performanc…
Machine learning, particularly in the form of deep learning, has driven most of the recent fundamental developments in artificial intelligence. Deep learning is based on computational models that are, to a certain extent, bio-inspired, as they rely on networks of connected simple computing units operating in parallel. Deep learning has been successfully applied in areas such as object/pattern recognition, speech and natural language processing, self-driving vehicles, intelligent self-diagnostics tools, autonomous robots, knowledgeable personal assistants, and monitoring. These successes have b…
Optical neural networks (ONNs), or optical neuromorphic hardware accelerators, have the potential to dramatically enhance the computing power and energy efficiency of mainstream electronic processors, due to their ultralarge bandwidths of up to 10s of terahertz together with their analog architecture that avoids the need for reading and writing data back and forth. Different multiplexing techniques have been employed to demonstrate ONNs, amongst which wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques make sufficient use of the unique advantages of optics in terms of broad bandwidths. Here, we …
Neuromorphic computing has the potential to further the success of software-based artificial neural networks (ANNs) by designing hardware from a different perspective. Current research in neuromorphic hardware targets dramatic improvements to ANN performance by increasing energy efficiency, speed of operation, and even seeks to extend the utility of ANNs by natively adding functionality such as spiking operation. One promising neuromorphic hardware platform is based on superconductive electronics, which has the potential to incorporate all of these advantages at the device level in addition to…
